Cyclist

It's not secret that when you do endurance related routines your body will begin to consume protein, (your muscle mass) also common in cardio sessions as well but not as prominent as endurance.

I've been countering this by consuming a protein shake before a long ride and slowly working on a 32g bar during a ride or run. (I can't eat the bar all at once when running or cycling, it makes me sluggish.) By doing this I have protein in my blood so my body burns that instead of going to burn my muscle. This has been working with great result; my strength gains have still be increasing in the gym and my body fat percentage has dropped 2%. (You don't drop to much body fat during the season since all you are doing is consuming carbs for the next ride.)

After a season of doing this I started thinking, wow I am burning off some expensive quality protein that I would rather consume for my body to use to build muscle and recover.

Anyone here familiar with this method of reducing the consumption of muscle mass? What do you think is the best protein to use for this?

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paingame420

yea you problly wanna get some caisen(not sure if i spelled it rite) protein in before it gives you a slow steady release for up to seven hours. also u could just put some protein in a water bottle and dilute alot so you can drink while ur cycling or running.

paingame420

O yea and extra amino acids

Dempsey Roll

I don't remember exactly where, but I read from a fairly reliable source that you don't actually burn muscle mass/protein when doing cardio, though it is a common misconception. I think it said something about burning glycogen when you do cardio, giving you less energy to use when (if) exercising later in the day. Thus, you're less able to thoroughly exhaust your muscles and you see less gains.

But feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

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Cyclist

From what I understand Dempsey you body begins to burn muscle protein during high intensity periods of cardio training.

So here has been my fix so far. Since I normally carb up for rides anyways, I switched my chose of carbs to a lentil and rice mixture and using a fat burning. Yes a fat burner.

So I consume the rice and lentil meal two hours before and then fruit an hour before a ride with half of the fat burning and the other half goes into the water bottle.

I am going to do this for a month to really see what the results are but after a week I have noticed a lot more prolong energy and power on the bike and while running. Also this makes your sweat and I mean sweat like a MoFo. During the first ride I did this on I had to ride into a store and get more water. I also noticed that I didn't feel the need to consume my sugary secret weapon of cyclist (Twinkies) during my long rides, in fact I haven't felt the need to eat one all week during a ride.

I'll keep you guys updated if you are interested with how this goes.

I know the fat burning thing sounds kinda sketchy but this idea came about after meeting with the team nutritionist. (I am riding with a new team and I didn't know we had one.)

I haven't done much experimenting with this on my long runs or my HITT running sessions so I'll get back to you guys on that when I try it.

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b00mknockout

What you're doing at the moment sounds about ideal

You'll be put in a catabolic state after the body has depleted
glycogen stores

However, it's not just your diet... your body adapts to sitations - and muscle tissue is something a body of an endurance athlete does not wish to retain/upkeep

so, IMO, your goals are contradictory

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swpthleg

Wait so if you're attempting endurance you dont want a lot of muscle? The stronger my legs get the farther/faster I can run so I"m confused.
Suppose you want to build lean muscle to increase your RMR and along with increasing exercise, eventually lose weight?
Also, I forgot what a catabolic state is.

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b00mknockout

no

just notice how the elites are built

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southpaw447

For a cyclist, the more suitable source for what you need would be something like Xtend. Liquids get there faster than a bar that you have to chew.


Maintaining Muscle Mass throughout the day can be achieved by consuming Protein in between meals

I drink 1 serving of GF Pro every 2-3 hours and Free Form Amino Acids with each Meal. I also Before bed (times when I'm unable to eat every 3 hours) drink a Serving of Zero Impact MRP which contains both slow and fast acting proteins.


Remember though that the Slower Digesting the protein (Micellar Casein, Milk Protein) the longer the Amino Acids remain in the bloodstream. The Faster Acting Proteins (Whey) only remain in the bloodstream for a very short period of time.

This is why high level athletes have to consume their bodyweight in protein daily to keep their body Anabolic and avoid muscle breakdown.

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"If the Bar Ain't Bendin', You're just Pretendin'"

southpaw447

Yes but your Glyocogen stores also diminish.

Which is why it is also a good idea to get 40-80g of carbs along with 40g of protein after training.

Waxi Maize is a great product for taking care of the carbs.

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"If the Bar Ain't Bendin', You're just Pretendin'"